How to Open RAW Photos with GIMP & Darktable or RawTherapee

In this GIMP tutorial I show you how to open RAW images in GIMP along with a free RAW image processor like Darktable or RawTherapee. Both RAW photo editing software are totally free and use automatically installed plugins that make the process of opening RAW images with GIMP super easy. I show you the entire process - from downloading and installing the free RAW software, to opening the RAW image within GIMP, to having the image processed in the RAW editor, to finally exporting the final image out of GIMP.
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[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Darktable or RawTherapee - which are you using to process your RAW photos? Let me know below👇

[@Windsorsillest]

Darktable

[@Ahuka]

My experience doing this on Linux is that the automatic link between GIMP and either Darktable or RawTherapee does not work. You can manually open a RAW image in either of those apps, do your editing, then save it as a TIFF file which you can then manually open in GIMP. That is not terrible, but I wish it worked better.

[@maximmortal3170]

Thank you, Michael. Congratulations on your recent 'mile mark'. You are the top 'Gimp Guru'. Keep up the good work, brother.

[@marvinzuniga6706]

Thank you brooo for your valuable contributions, I hope we will soon have subtitles in Spanish in your course. I need them!!!

[@GaryParris]

Well done Mark, btw EXR holds a lot more data than TIFF, it is used in the 3D world to hold all kinds of colour and image data TIFF wasn't designed to hold. i much prefer Darktable myself, but both apps are extremely good, many would say superior to lightroom; me included.

[@chrisjohn5875]

3:43 is the start of the video

[@andreasstromberg296]

Why cant just someone explain how to get the raw file from darktable to gimp??

[@scientiest12]

bro I am looking for the same... Did you find any solution? pls let me know

[@andreasstromberg296]

@@scientiest12 Hi Just open your raw file from Gimp, then Darktable starts automatically. When you are finished processing, close Darktable. Then it opens up in Gimp automatically.

[@Albinedbom]

@@andreasstromberg296 Hey! Does this mean I have to do the basic edits in Darktable first, or does it open up in Gimp as a rawfile with all the information saved on it, so I can use Gimp for all of my editiding?

[@IIPhotography]

I think I would have mentioned 'checking' the option box for LZW compression when exporting the file as a Tif as this would have made your exported file smaller without loss of any image information... I believe LZW compression, which is like Zip'ing, only compresses the base layer information of the image so multiple layer images will impart less benefit from its use, but it is still worth having as it does not cause any compatibility issues and is really invisible to the user.

[@samcraftyhands3305]

hi there i do not see a scan for device to import from the sd card or stick please advise i have 3.6.1

[@joaovtaveira]

7:24 but I don't. Please help me, I have darktable installed and working great, but not the GIMP plugin to open raw files through it. How can I solve this?

[@raymondtan2415]

How do I show the message box again if I have clicked on the "Don't show this message" box previously?

[@edderohanes4264]

Your video shows installing Darktable, and Gimp, then importing raw file (NEF from Nikon) into the Darktable. I don't get the message that it will launch GIMP upon closing Darktable, and in fact it doesn't. My Preferences screen downs show the Darktable plugin like yours. Have I missed a step?

[@kevinkildare3413]

Me too.

[@Lordbaccus]

DarkTable keeps downloading RAWTHERAPY onto my PC and GIMP does NOT see it as a plugin = NOT working

[@Myshcan]

So when the RAW file gets opened in GIMP via Darktable, is editing then done on all the RAW information? Or has it been changed to a file format with less information?

[@Lordbaccus]

How do I composite a 3 frame HDR image?

[@ProductCreationFormula]

Can you save it as png?

[@jesse7631]

Thanks Michael! Another great and detailed tutorial.

[@jessicaroberts8250]

Awesome! I recently downloaded Rawtherapee

[@witchcraft3853]

Can you do color separation on gimp?

[@chriskuk9439]

Darktable and rawtherapee will not open Apple pro raw is there a way to do that. The image that raawtherapee opens is a very poor rendering of the photo. yet windows or basic linux photo opens image with no issue

[@Windsorsillest]

great video🎥. I've used it more times than I can count. Thank you good sir🙏📸

[@markcompton1249]

Is it possible to edit the RAW image after some GIMP work, as Photoshop does? I focus on astrophotography so need to stretch and a few other steps before using RAW adjustment capability to fix Saturation, noise, etc. (rather than those features in PS or GIMP).

[@Hrubicundus]

Great video, very useful thanks. Which do you prefer, Darktable or RawTherapee?

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

I personally prefer Darktable, but RawTherapee seems to also be a great option.

[@ZorroZock]

Is there an option to auto close DarkTable immediately? I am writing a script-fu batch that is opening a RAW file. Then DarkTable appears and requires manual interaction (close) in order for the script to continue.

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Not that I know of - perhaps you could bring it up with a GIMP developer and see if they can help you create a solution.

[@relaxation2380]

Idk what I'm doing wrong. I can open files in darktable no problem but gimp.. forget it

[@tonykeltsflorida]

GIMP and Rawtherapee on Linux Mint. 😀

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

A winning combination

[@baslielalene4702]

Thanks.

[@jeronbaxter]

Go Knights!

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

Charge on!

[@hamzakhiar3636]

u used windows cause it's easy to find it's plugins

[@marcello4258]

Windows and mac User be like: just download and double click it what could ever happen?

[@Mythologos]

There's no fucking excuse for how obnoxiously laborious this is in 2022. GIMP should have a Repo by now. RAW Image support should be built in. This is why no one uses GIMP.

[@POedLib]

Using Rawtherapee as a pre-processor for GIMP with RAW files (I have .DNG) works well and seamlessly. Don't be a whiner.

[@mark2220]

@@POedLib easy fella. it is laborious. I've followed this and other tutorials and Darktable just simply DOESNT even open when I open an image as demonstrated. He's right.